A new generation of zeitgeist-y television actresses was left off the list of noms, including Emmy nominees Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) and Lena Dunham (Girls) in comedy and Mad Men pair Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss in drama. Modern Family's Julie Bowen, who has won best supporting actress in a comedy at the most recent two Emmy Awards, also failed to earn a nom from her peers. The same for Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won the Emmy for Veep but was denied a SAG bid.

Both Deschanel and Dunham saw their shows whiff on nominations; neither comedy earned an ensemble nomination, either. Also surprising was the continued rough ride for Parks and Recreation; lead actress Amy Poehler netted a nomination, but its large cast failed to reel in an ensemble bid. Instead, NBC's The Office, in its final season, took the nomination, joining another final-season NBC comedy, 30 Rock.

In a mild actress surprise, Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith were given nominations in the actress category for their roles in Downton Abbey.

On the actor side, Michael C. Hall of Dexter, a multi-Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner, was left off the list, as were his castmates. While HBO won noms for Game Change and Boardwalk Empire, its fantasy Game of Thrones was left off the entire list.

In film, the sprawling ensemble cast of Cloud Atlas, which included Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, was denied a nomination despite their shape-shifting between many different roles apiece. Also largely ignored was the cast of The Master; only Philip Seymour Hoffman, for his role as an L. Ron Hubbard-like cult leader, earned a supporting nomination. That meant no ensemble bid, or individual looks for Joaquin Phoenix or Amy Adams.

While Jessica Chastain netted a nomination for her lead part in the CIA procedural Zero Dark Thirty, and the film has been sweeping critics' awards, the cast -- which includes Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt, did not score an ensemble; neither did the star-studded Dark Knight Rises group, which boasts Oscar winners in Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard, along with nominee Anne Hathaway (who got a bid for supporting actress in Les Miserables) and Tom Hardy.

Left completely off the board was Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which is expected to boast nominees later on such as Leonardo DiCaprio and perhaps Jamie Foxx. Oscar winner Christoph Waltz co-stars in that film, with support from Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington.

While Helen Mirren got a best actress nom, Hitchcock, with its cast that includes Anthony Hopkins and Scarlett Johansson, was left off the list, as was Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, despite boasting Edward Norton,Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Jason Schwartzman.

Matthew McConaughey, who turned heads and revived his career with roles in Bernie, Killer Joe and Magic Mike, also was denied a nomination.